Automatic collating machine



I 19371 EQF. SCHLENSKER 2,089,861

AUTOMATIC GOLLATING MACHINE Filed April 17, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l nfim n s IIIIIIIIH /0 V211 #7767 Sch/ems key;

Aug. 10, 1937. E. F. SCHLENSKER AUTOMATIC COLLATING MACHINE Filed April 17, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 j ll' Z/mer Z." Sch/ems/rer;

1937. E. F. SCHLENSKER; 2,089,861

AUTOMATIC COLLATING MACHINE Filed April 17, 1956 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i; Vi

awe/who'll I/mer Z SO/I/emS/re Patented Aug. 10, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .giU'roMATIc COLLATING MACHINE Elmer F, Schlensker, Evansville, Ind. Application April 17, 1936, Serial No. 75,028

7 Claims.

' This invention relates to an improved automatic collating machine including an endless carrier adapted to receive an endless series of stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, and to continuously move said stacks of sheets in a horizontal path, and manually controlled power operated means arranged in said path and adapted to elevate the front or foremost sheet from each successive stack and deliver it to a receiver where the sheets from the successive stacks are piled one upon another in proper order.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above kind which is extremely simple and compact in construction,

efficient in operation, and easy and economical to use. I

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above kind including an improved carrier for the stacks of sheets to be collated.

A further 'object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above kind including an improved means for elevating the foremost sheet from each stack and delivering it to a receiver.

5- With the above and other objects in viewwhich will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, such invention resides in the novel combination, form and arrangement. of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the 0 accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of a collating machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

35 Figure 2 is an elevational view thereof looking toward the left of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view looking toward the right of Figure 2.

Figure 4 isan enlarged fragmentary section on 40 line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view,

partly in elevation and partly in -section, showing the device for initiating, elevation of the foremost sheet of each stack. 45 Figure 6 is a transverse section on line 6-5-01 Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Figure 5. Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated and preferred embodiment of the present 50 invention includes a suitable supporting stand or frame 5 upon which is mounted an endless carrier 6 having an endless series of open-top receptacles or compartments 1 adapted to receive a plurality of stacks of sheets 8 with the sheets of 55 such stacks arranged onedge as clearly shown in Figure 4. The carrier 0 is preferably in the form r of a rotary table having an upstanding marginal rim and provided with a circular series of partitions 9 defining the receptacles or compartments 1 with the latter arranged in a circular series. This carrier is mounted on the upper end of a ver-. tical shaft I0 Journaled in the upper portion of the supporting stand or frame 5 and. carrying a gear I l which meshes with a pinion l2 on the upper end of a second vertical shaft I3 journaled in the upper portion of stand or frame 5 at one side of the shaft 10. Mounted in the stand or frame 5 below the shaft I3 is a suitable motor l4 operatively connected with shaft I3 by means of a belt gearing l5 and worm gearing l6. In this way,

the motor i4 is operatively connected to the carrier 6 for driving the latter at a very slow speed, the several gearings mentioned being of the reduction type. Obviously, a suitable switch may be provided for manually throwing the motor it into and out of operation.

As is also clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4, the partitions 9 are inclined upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction of rotation of the carrier 6 so that the sheets 8 are supported in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined but near- Ly vertical position. At the bottom of each receptacle or compartment 1 there are provided a pair of spaced rests for the sheets of paper, consisting of narrow tapered strips ll having rubber or like friction coverings i8 so as to insure against slippage of the sheets along the bottoms of the compartments so that said sheets will remain in proper contiguous stacked relation even though the compartments are not completely full. The carrier 6 is rotated in an anticlockwise direction as indicated by the arrows at a in Figures 1 and 4.

v A supplemental frame [9 is horizontally sup ported above the carrier 6 at one side of the latter, preferably by connection at its inner end with the upper end of shaft ID as shown in Figure 1 and by connection at its outer end with the top of supporting stand or frame 5 as indicated at 2|]. This supplemental frame l9 forms part of the means for elevating the foremost sponding ends as indicated at 26. Another pair of horizontal shafts 21 and 28 are journaled in the main lower portion of frame I9 and geared together as at 29. These shafts carry coacting pairs of feed rollers 30 and 3| and are arranged so that one is located slightly above and in advance of the other. The shaft 21 is operatively connected with the shaft 22 by means of a belt gearing 32 by means of which the shaft 22 is driven from shaft 21 at a slightly increased speed. The shaft 21 is driven from shaft |3 by means of belt gearings 33 and 34 so that the motor I4 is utilized to rotate carrier 6 and drive the feed rollers 24, 25, 30 and 3|.

Pivotally suspended from the intermediate portion of shaft 21 is the frame 35 of the device for initiating the elevation of the foremost sheet from each stack of sheets. The frame 35 is of elongated form and pivoted atone end on the shaft 21 at opposite sides of apulley 36 secured on said shaft 21. Another pulley 38 is journaled in the other or outer end of frame 35, and an endless belt 39 of rubber or other friction material passes around the pulleys 36 and 38 so as to be driven by shaft 21. An operating rod 40 is pivoted to the outer end of frame 35 and extends upwardly through a guide bracket 4| carried by frame IS. A stop member 42 is secured on the rod 40 above the bracket 4| and cooperates with a resilient keeper 43 so that the sheet elevating device may be raised to an inoperative position by pulling upwardly on the rod 42, and maintained in such inoperative position by engagement of the stop 42 above the coacting portion of keeper 43. Also, by pressing the keeper 43 rearwardly it may be disengaged from the stop 42 so as to allow the parts to gravitate to the operative position shown in Figure 4 wherein the belt 39 may engage the sheet to be elevated. Obviously, the travel of belt 39 will result in elevation of the foremost sheet as indicated in Figure 4 so that it is fed in between the rollers 3|] and 3|. These rollers 30 and 3| then deliver the sheet upwardly to and between the rollers 24 and 25 by which the sheet is discharged rearwardly into a suitable receiver where the successive sheets may be piled one upon another in proper order. This receiver may consist of a tray 44 supported by the upward extension 2| of frame l9 and extending rearwardly therefrom directly behindthe rollers .24 and 25. Also, the tray 44 may be open at the outer side and provided at that side with a. finger-receiving notch 45 to facilitate removal of the piled sheets from said tray 44 when desired. In order to properly guide the sheets from the rollers 30 and 3| to the rollers 24 and 25, spaced guide strips 46 and 41 are provided, the upper strips 46 extending from the shaft 21 to the shaft 22 and then rearwardly above the tray 44 as at 46a, and the guide strips 41 extending from shaft 28 to and slightly beyond shaft 23. In fact, the lower strips 41 should project below shaft 28 so as to properly direct the paper to and between rollers 30 and 3|, as indicated at 410.. The rearward extensions 46a of guide strips 46 serve to properly direct the sheets downwardly and rearwardly into the tray 44 after passing the rollers 24 and 25, as will be apparent.

In operation, the motor I4 is started so as to drive the carrier 6 and thefeed rollers 24, 25, 30 and 3| and belt 39. As each successive stack of sheets 8 moves past the sheet-removing and elevating device, the foremost sheet in such stack is engaged by belt 39 and elevated to rolle s 39 and 3|, whereupon said sheetis delivered to rollers 24 and 25, and then delivered by the latter rollers into the tray 44. .Onesheet is thus removed. from each stack of sheets ateach revolution of the carrier 6, and by arranging the stacks of sheets in proper order in the compartments 1, the sheets will be delivered into the tray 44 and piled one upon another in proper order.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages of the present invention, will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the-art. Various changes in the form and construction of parts may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention as .claimed. While I have shown only one sheetremoving and elevating device in connection with the carrier, it is obvious that more than one of the same may be advantageously provided for simultaneous use under certain conditions.

What I claim as new is:

1. A collating machine including an endless carrier provided'with an endless series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, driving'means for said carrier, an elevated receiver, means operable to elevate the foremost sheet from each successive stack, and means to deliver the elevated sheet to said receiver, and means for drivingsaid last-named means.

2. A collating machine comprising an endless carrier having an endless series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, means for driving said carrier, a receiver, a vertically yieldable device for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack, and means for transferring the sheet elevated by said device to said receiver.

3. A collating machine comprising an endless carrier having an endless series of receptacles, adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated .with the sheets arranged on edge, means for driving said carrier, a receiver, a vertically yieldable device for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack, and means for transferring the .45

sheet elevated by said device to said receiver, said transferring means including a plurality of sets of power-driven feed rollers, a driven shaft carrying certain of said feed rollers, said device including an endless sheet-engaging belt having a driving pulley secured on said driven shaft.

4. A collating machine comprising an endless carrier having an endless series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, means for driving said carrier, a receiver, a vertically yieldable device for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack, and means for transferring the sheet elevated by said device to said receiver, said transferring means including a plurality of sets of power-driven feed rollers, a driven shaft carrying certain of said feed rollers, said device including an endless sheet-engaging belt having a driving pulley secured on said driven shaft, and said device further including a frame pivotally suspended from said driven shaft.

5. A collating machine comprising an endless carrier having an endless series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be, collated with the sheets arranged on edge, means for driving said carrier, a receiver, a vertically yieldable device for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack, means for transferring the sheet elevated by said device to said receiver, said transferring means including a plurality of sets of f 9,089,801 power-driven feed rollers, a driven shaft carrying certain of said feed rollers, said device including an endless sheet-engaging belt having a driving pulley secured on said driven shaft, and said device further including a frame pivotally suspended from said driven shaft, and manually operable means for elevating and rendering said device inoperative at will.

6. An automatic collating machine including a horizontal rotary carrier having a circular series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, an elevated receiver, means for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack, and

7. An automatic collating machine including a v,

horizontal rotary carrier having a circular series of receptacles adapted to receive stacks of sheets to be collated with the sheets arranged on edge, power-operated means for elevating the foremost sheet from each successive stack and delivering it to a receiver, said last-named means including a vertically yieldable device for initially engaging and elevating the sheet, manually operable means to raise said device to an inoperative position, and releasable means for holding said device in such raised inoperative position.

ELMER F. SCI-ILENSKER. 

